AI and Reproductive Medicine: Improving Possibilities for Infertility Treatment
For centuries, humans have procreated. For many, having a child seems effortless and part of the natural process of being a human. Sperm+egg+uterus=child. Seems simple and easy, right? However, In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report stating that about 1 out of 6 people experience infertility. The emotional and physical toll infertility has on patients who wish to conceive a child is filled with suffering: both physical and emotional.
By the time an individual or couple comes to me, they have gone through many painful and stressful months of trial and error in trying to conceive a child. Their reason to have a child is simple: desire to have a child to love, take care of and raise. This desire for parenthood, independent of sexuality and gender identity, may be hardwired into many in order to manifest species survival.
Dr. Leondires agrees this AI tool increases precision of mature follicle selection, thereby improving chance of a successful pregnancy
As a Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist, I have access to many Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) tools to help people conceive a child. Typically, doctors like me will use careful patient interviews, diagnostics tests and perhaps surgical procedures as part of a patient’s personalized plan. This individualized plan, including a combination of medications and ART treatments like intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF), assists in conception for people who desire to be parents.
Precision is key for us and our patients as it allows us to personalize care and maximize per cycle success. Precision in improving the selection of sperm cells, oocytes, and embryos is critical in order to generate better predictive models for in vitro fertilization.
Delores, a patient who initially gave up on IVF and building a family, is given new hope with the AI embedded within Cycle Clarity
Recently, according to the National Institute of Health, doctors and patients are getting a new tool to help improve precision—Artificial Intelligence (AI). In reproductive medicine, AI is being used to enhance precision techniques. Currently, AI is being trialed to improve in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates by strengthening the precision of mature follicle selection, sperm selection, and embryo selection based on various parameters, with the hope to ultimately increase the chances of successful pregnancies. AI-powered ultrasound software such as Cycle Clarity is being used to help select the best time to move a patient from the follicular development phase to the egg retrieval phase of their treatment course.
Additionally, pre-embryo incubators with embedded microscopes such as embryoscope are being used to help select morphologically best embryos in a particular patient by taking pictures every 10 minutes while the embryo is in development inside an incubator. This process hopes to help leverage AI to evaluate embryo development, viability and implantation probability based on real time photographic analysis and other data. The use of AI in these IVF steps aims to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the IVF stimulation process and embryo selection, ultimately increasing the chances for a successful pregnancy.
The application of AI in assessing embryo development is a promising advancement in reproductive medicine, offering new possibilities for improving infertility treatment.
Sources:
1.Making and selecting the best embryo in the laboratory
2.US11455725B2 - Embryo viability evaluation using AI/ML analysis of real-time video - Google Patents
3.Reimagining Healthcare: Unleashing the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine | Article
4.Making and selecting the best embryo in the laboratory - Fertility and Sterility
5.Utility of polygenic embryo screening for disease depends on the selection strategy - PMC
6. Artificial Intelligence in Reproductive Medicine - An Ethical Perspective. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. NCBI